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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039672">Celebrations on the Shore</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums'>stelliums</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, Childhood Friends, Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Gen, Pre-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:20:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>668</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039672</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora's friends wanted to celebrate his birthday a little differently this year. My contribution for the 2021 Sora's Birthday Digital Zine!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kairi &amp; Riku &amp; Sora (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sora Birthday Zine 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Celebrations on the Shore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Driftwood bobbed above the waves, disappearing beneath the water only to reappear once more. Winter had ceased on the islands. The thin layering of snow that they had been blessed with that year had melted away and left the rough sea as the single reminder that the serene, sweltering summers were yet to arrive.</p>
<p>Smoothed wooden planks settled against the sand amongst others in preparation for their next attempt. Their quest was never-ending, and wood was in limited supply on such a small cluster of islands – they had to be, as his mother would say, resourceful. Sora tugged on one, only to send him onto his back. The damp sand offered little to cushion his fall.</p>
<p>“Ow...” He whined as a hand was thrust in front of him. Kairi’s giggle soothed the pain just enough to let her help him to his feet. “Where’d Riku go? We didn’t lose him, did we?”</p>
<p>Kairi held a finger to her chin and looked out over the ocean. “I doubt it. We’ve done this hundreds of times, and every time we’ve been okay! He’s probably getting dried off. Come on, let’s go inside before it gets dark.” She pulled on his hand but his feet remained firmly planted on the ground.</p>
<p>“Sora?”</p>
<p>The boy tore away from his friend and took off running. His shoes soon filled with seawater, an anchor to the ground. He was still in the shallows; even if he made his way deeper, the sea was as much of a home to him as the land of the islands themselves. He could see Kairi on the shore, calling to him to return to land.</p>
<p>“Riku! Hey, Riku, this isn’t funny!”</p>
<p>He dove underneath the water. Fish darted in all directions, but no sign of Riku. The only thing he could find on the sea floor were the decorated lunch boxes that they had taken on their latest expedition out to sea. Sora stood up again. Something slid down his back, his skin scrawling. Sora turned, only to be met by another wad of seaweed.</p>
<p>“What do you mean? I think this is pretty funny.” Riku crossed his arms, a clumsily-made slingshot in one hand and a towel in the other. “Just look at your face–!”</p>
<p>“Then where did you go?!” He grabbed the towel and buried his face in it. Kairi and Riku shared a knowing look. When he removed himself from the soft, gentle fabric, his hair still dripping saltwater onto the sand beneath him, a pirate hat sat on Riku’s lap and Kairi held out a cupcake to him. It wore a miniature captain’s hat instead of a candle.</p>
<p>“Oh, I was just maki–“ A glare in Riku’s direction from an unimpressed Kairi quickly made him abandon his assertion about the paper mache hat. “–uh, finishing this off. Happy birthday, Captain! What, did you think we’d forget?”</p>
<p>Sora stared blankly at the gifts, then at the expectantly grinning faces of his two friends. He reached out to take the hat and rested it on top of his head. It drooped to one side, covering one of his glimmering eyes.</p>
<p>“...Riku decorated the cake. We wanted to celebrate on the open seas, but...” Kairi let out a sigh while Sora picked at the edges of his cupcake and avoided ruining the icing. The remnants of their latest raft had all drifted to shore to be slowly smoothed by the waves.</p>
<p>The birthday boy wrapped an arm around each of his friends. “What do you mean? Another birthday here still means another birthday with you! And cake... who would want any more than that?”</p>
<p>After thinking with all of their might, the trio could only think of one thing. The voice of Sora’s mother called from inside, telling them to join her. A collective sigh left them at the reminder of the setting sun. The three children scrambled up the beach towards home, the promise of a larger adventure and a more elaborate celebratory dessert awaiting them.</p>
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